South Yorkshire is ‘Mayfair’ of manufacturing, says ex-Obama aide

SHEFFIELD and Rotherham have been dubbed the “Mayfair” of advanced manufacturing by a former adviser to President Barack Obama.

Bruce Katz, who is also a vice president of the Brookings Institution, said that South Yorkshire was “ready to act with intention, purpose, and ambition”.

Mr Katz made the comments after visiting Sheffield and Rotherham earlier this year, to analyse plans to create a new Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District. The district will include the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP) in Waverley, the Sheffield Business Park, and Sheffield city centre.

It will also harness the skills of manufacturers along the Sheffield-Rotherham economic corridor.

He has now published his findings following the three-day visit. In his report, Mr Katz has commended the vision of all those involved in the scheme, including Sheffield and Rotherham councils and the University of Sheffield.

Mr Katz’s report, which has been published online by the Brookings Institution, based in Washington DC, says: “The challenge of cities in mature economies is to be the best 21st-century version of themselves.

In his report, Mr Katz says that the advanced manufacturing companies in Sheffield and Rotherham “make up an innovation ecosystem that draws from a pool of talented workers and applied research”.

He goes on to say that the AMP can be referred to as “the elite ‘Mayfair’ address for advanced manufacturing”.